The Cleveland Browns are widely expected to use an early pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on a quarterback.
Cleveland could have a top-five pick, and the Browns also have the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ first-round pick, which they can use to trade up to select a quarterback. However, it appears the Browns may not be able to find their franchise quarterback in the draft.
Multiple high-ranking NFL executives spoke to The Athletic, and none were impressed by the quarterbacks that will likely be picked early in 2026.
“Nobody is playing the position well enough to be like, ‘That dude can take over my franchise,’” said an NFL team executive who was granted anonymity so he could speak openly.
Another executive, meanwhile, said their team didn’t love any of the top quarterback prospects as a future franchise guy.
“I don’t love any of (the quarterbacks) right now,” a second executive said. “We’re trying to grasp onto somebody because there isn’t anybody, and it’s such a flavor of the week. Good luck right now.”
A third NFL executive continued the bad news for the Browns, as they said the quarterback class is not a good one.
“Overall, we were hoping it was going to be better than last year,” a third executive said. “There was a hangover from such a good class two years ago. There were more projected (quarterbacks) coming into this year, but the expectations of the higher-end players never really materialized. Some of the younger guys are leaning toward going back because they haven’t played well and are making the NIL money.”
The top quarterbacks available are Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, LaNorris Sellers, and Dante Moore.
Cleveland has been using Dillon Gabriel at quarterback, but he doesn’t appear to be the long-term answer.
With that, all signs point to the Browns taking a quarterback early in the 2026 NFL Draft to be their franchise guy.
Although Cleveland is expected to take a quarterback, Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic doesn’t think general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski should make the pick.
“This team is back in the quarterback derby next year based on how things stand now. What that means for temporary starter Dillon Gabriel and Sanders is as uncertain as who will be making the selection,” Jackson wrote.
“Because absolutely zero about this current group’s quarterback track record says they should get to make the next pick. That’s true even if I’m right about Sanders eventually being a starting-quality player. I don’t yet know if I’m right about that. And the more I watch this offense trudge its way around, I’m not quite sure what anyone involved knows about anything.”
Whether or not the Browns will keep Berry and Stefanski to develop their next quarterback is to be seen.
The Browns will likely take one of the top quarterbacks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Tim Bielik of Cleveland.com predicted the Browns will take Mendoza from Indiana to be their franchise quarterback.
“Mendoza right now is QB1 and his game-winning drive at Penn State on Saturday only solidified that standing. He has just about everything a quarterback needs except for an elite deep ball. Mendoza has taken the next step as a quarterback under Curt Cignetti. (He) looks like the type of QB who could turn a team like the Browns back around quickly.”
Mendoza is 181-of-254 for 2,342 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions this season at Indiana.
Entire NFL seasons can turn on the oddest of moments. Last year, the Chicago Bears lost to the Washington Commanders on a flukish Hail Mary and proceeded to lose their next nine games. If the Indianapolis Colts end up faltering in 2025, fans might look back on a freak pregame collision in Week 6 and sadly shake their heads.
That’s when the Colts lost their top cornerback, Charvarius Ward. He was engaged in pregame warmups, working on his backpedal, when he crashed into tight end Alec Ogletree. Ward suffered a concussion – not his first. It was bad enough to land him on the injured list.
Indianapolis has been playing all season with a diminished defensive secondary, and this was just one more blow. Will the Colts be able to overcome this one? Perhaps more importantly, as the trade deadline approaches, does GM Chris Ballard need to make a move to ensure Ward’s absence doesn’t derail a spectacular season?
Injuries are a part of football. All teams deal with them. When they are clustered at one position, even the best rosters can struggle. Ward’s absence wouldn’t be nearly as damaging were Jaylon Jones and Justin Walley not already out. Hopefully, Jones will return soon. The rookie Walley is out for the year.
A group of virtual unknowns – Mekhi Blackmon, Johnathan Edwards, special teams stud Chris Lammons – have joined Kenny Moore II to provide help at corner. Moore himself was injured earlier, and so Ballard brought in veteran Mike Hilton to play the slot. You guessed it. Hilton got hurt, too.
Part of the reason Indy has survived this brutal stretch of injuries is that they have played a lot of teams with poor passing offenses, or teams with good offenses that were also dealing with devastating injuries. There’s a bit of luck involved in that.
The other reason is that Shane Steichen’s crew is engaging in a textbook example of everyone’s new favorite term, “complementary football.” The Colts’ offense has been so dominant that it has established big leads in most games. That has forced opponents to pass more than intended. It is far easier to play defense when your opponent becomes one-dimensional.
Perhaps the Colts can sustain that, but if and when they come up against better competition – ideally, in the playoffs – that formula may not be as successful. At some point, Indy’s defense is going to have to contend with a quality passing attack in a close game. That’s when they will need to put topflight cornerbacks on the field.
The Athletic (subscription required) recently identified six teams as being sellers at the trade deadline. Two of those teams offer intriguing options that Ballard is no doubt considering.
Some analysts have drawn a logical link between the Colts and Cincinnati’s Cam Taylor-Britt. Britt has been relegated to the bench this season, but in his previous three years, he started 38 games for Colts’ defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who served in the same role in Cincinnati.
But there’s a better option. Taylor-Britt was a healthy scratch recently, which always raises red flags. But even if you discount that, he has primarily played in the slot, where the Colts already have Moore and, when he returns in the second half of the season, Hilton.
The Tennessee Titans’ Roger McCreary could play the slot if needed. But he can play anywhere. And he is comfortable in any style of defense. That has always been McCreary’s calling card. He is not flashy. He has three career interceptions in 54 games. But he is steady.
In his four seasons, McCreary has never had a Pro Football Focus grade (subscription required_ below 61. He is solid in coverage and good against the run. He entered the league as a highly-regarded press-man cover corner, but he has developed into a quality zone corner as well.
Lou Anarumo likes to switch up his coverage schemes, never remaining in zone or man for too long, and Roger McCreary is perfectly suited to do just that.
Ideally, by the time they reach the playoffs, Indianapolis will have Ward, Jones, and Moore as their three primary cornerbacks. Blackmon has stepped up nicely. Questons remain regarding Lammons and Edwards, but they are gaining valuable experience right now which could serve them well if they are pressed into service. And if Hilton returns, that’s another veteran presence.
If all that happens, the Colts do not need Roger McCreary. But all those things are not going to happen. Every GM and every fan knows that. The Colts will continue to experience injuries. Ward’s concussion problems are very unpredictable and difficult to manage. Jones has played six snaps this season – all on special teams.
Cornerbacks are often the most gifted athletes on a football roster. They are also usually the smallest position players. They get hurt as much as, if not more than, any other position player. You never have enough cornerbacks, especially in today’s NFL, in which offenses fling the ball all over the field.
Indy has made it this far by impressively cobbling together its cornerbacks (ably supported by Cam Bynum and Nick Cross, the two fine safeties who have fortunately remained healthy), but it would be a huge risk to move forward without some added insurance. Roger McCreary is the ideal insurance policy for a team expecting to be playing meaningful games well into January.